cross bows

[wright brothers]

What is the latest on these?
Best buy, good deal/sale?
What to look for, what to avoid? Are used ones junk?
Asking for a friend that's to whimpy to pull a bow lol.

 

[spaniel]

I have a Ravin R26 and love it. Much easier to cock with a crank vs the cheap one I started out with, which required a rope apparatus. The Ravins aren't cheap, but IMHO it's worth it. I waited until Cabelas had a 30% off sale, then used a bunch of credit card points too. You do have to use their arrows though due to the high speed.

 

[SEM]

as accurate as any rifle, really like mine

 

[Mark W]

I have a Wicked Ridge by Ten Point that I bought a couple years ago when I was still holding a late season buck tag, and it was too cold for me to draw my bow while dressed for those temps. It’s not top of the like by any stretch, but I think it’s a great value option.

 

[wright brothers]

A crank may be a plus.
Does the crank let down also?
Be used for target mostly. Maybe groundhog and deer.

 

[timeout]

I have a Ten Point with a crank. The newer Ten Points have a crank system that also let's you uncock the bow so I'm debating upgrade. Cabela's has a deal through the 27th that if you take in any kind of a bow that is functional they will give $200 in trade. I have read that the Ten Point Venom X is a great value. Cabela's has the Ten Point 430 on sale right now for $500 off but they do not give the $200 trade in on that one. Here is a link to new crossbow recommendations on Crossbow Nation. https://www.crossbownation.com/threads/crossbow-suggestions.155836/

 

[timeout]

A crank may be a plus.
Does the crank let down also?
Be used for target mostly. Maybe groundhog and deer.

Some do, some don't.

 

[MikeT49]

IMHO the Ravin R10 is to crossbows as the 870 Remington is to shotguns. Not the newest, greatest, fastest, nor most expensive. They just flat out do the job. Both of mine are stupid accurate, capable of putting 5 arrows into a 50 cent piece at 50 yards. Easy to cock and decock. Some people don't like the clicking noise while cocking, I guess for a second shot? Good luck getting a second shot after shooting your not so quiet crossbow. You can cock it silently, you just hold the stop button unlatched. For decocking, you just hold the stop button open and carefully crank backwards. They have more than enough energy to kill any of the North American big game animals. The R10X is slightly faster and has silent cranking. BFD, they are also more prone to breakage due to trying to crank every last bit of power.
I recently picked up a new R10 package (xbow, arrows, quiver and scope) from eBay for $987 shipped.

 

[bsekf]

I am old and can't draw a long bow or compound but wanted to get in the woods while it is still warm. I bought a cheaper compound cross bow, had to use a crank to cock it and then shoot a dummy bolt (arrow) to de cock. The compounds are pretty sophisticated and you need a bow press (dealer) to work on them, like replacing string and getting them balanced. And they are a cocked bear trap and if you accidentally dry fire one it may blow up! So, I bit the bullet and got an Excaliber Grizzly, a real crossbow. At 86 I am able to cock it manually (a few times) and it is easy to de-cock using the cocking string. AND, you can leave it cocked for a few days, my lockable shooting house is within sight of my house and local 2-legged varmints know better. Story is that a guy left one cocked for a whole winter, by accident and circumstance, and it fired and held the POA. Plus they usually survive an accidental dry fire. Limbs are lifetime guaranteed and are DIY replaceable. Strings too. I suggest you look at the Excaliber.

 

[Alexander-M]

I have had a Barnett TS370 for a few years and I really like it. I bought the hand-crank separately, and it works, but I prefer to just pullup and skip the crank. I haven't shot in a while, though.

Alex